April 1, 2009
* 8.9" new snow piles up in St. Cloud over 2 days, nearly 12" at Little Falls!
* Flood warnings posted for Minnesota, Mississippi and Sauk Rivers.
* Threat/risk of spying the "sun" (nearest star, 93+ million miles away) later today. Have your camera ready.
* Weekend storm should track south of St. Cloud, just brushing central MN with clouds and a light "nuisance" snowfall.
Today: Clouds giving way to intervals of sun, brightening up. Winds: West 10-15. High: near 40
Tonight: Partial clearing, patchy ground fog possible. Low: 23
Friday: Sun begins to fade late in the day. Winds: north, 5-10. High: 42
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, slight chance of light snow/flurries (mainly south of St. Cloud). High: 41
Sunday: Lingering flurries, no more than a dusting. High: 40
Monday: More sun, hints of spring in the air. High: 42
Tuesday: Plenty of sun (most of the snow long gone by then). High: 45
Column
O.K. April came in like a snow leopard, maybe it'll go out like a...robin? Oh, that's March. My bad. Can you imagine all those transplants who just moved to the St. Cloud area. Tip toeing up to the nearest window, hiding their eyes, mouths agape, staring outside in horror! "What have I done? Where am I living?" What does THIS have to do with quality of life? Deep breaths. Time for a little Zen moment. Yes, our manic weather pattern (more weather extremes than any chunk of real estate than Siberia) is an acquired taste. Look at the benefits: central Minnesota's population stays at a nice, manageable level. And none of us take the sunny, 70-degree days for granted. Ever. If it was lukewarm year-round central Minnesota would be "L.A. with lakes." It's days like this than insure that only the people who REALLY want to live here stick around. Trust me - you'll eventually come to cherish these kinds of days. You now have weather-boasting-rights for the entire nation. If anyone, anywhere, ever tells a weather story you can one-up them. You'll be able to tell plenty of wild weather tales! Rarely is our weather ever boring or dull. We just careen from one extreme to the next.
Now the big question is: how bad will the flooding be close to home? I'm cautiously optimistic that the snow will melt slowly, gradually. Temperatures recover to about 40-44 in the coming days, no radical warm fronts that could melt the snow overnight. No heavy rain is brewing that could melt the snow in a sudden, watery rush. That said there is some level of concern for residents living along the Mississippi, Minnesota and Sauk Rivers in the coming days. Flood warnings remain posted for these tributaries (check out the NWS details below). If you live in a normally flood-prone area you'll want to stay alert through early next week.
The good news: a weak bubble of high pressure will chase away the clouds, leaving us with a little strained, muffled sunlight Thursday and Friday with highs near 40, still 5 degrees cooler than average. Whatever "average" is. Tell me, if you're standing with one foot in ice water, the other foot in boiling water, do you feel average? The next storm tracks south of Minnesota over the weekend; computer models bring a little light snow into the southern third of Minnesota Saturday PM into Sunday morning. Mankato could pick up an inch or 2, maybe 3" at Albert Lea and Austin. But I'd be shocked if the St. Cloud area picked up much more than a coating to at most an inch. It should NOT be a rerun of the last 36 hours. Trust me. I'm a weatherman.
Snowfall Reports from the NWS
...ANNUAL SNOWFALL RECORD REACHED AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS MINNESOTA...
AN ANNUAL SNOWFALL RECORD HAS BEEN REACHED AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS FOR 2008-2009. AS OF APRIL 01 2009...124.2 INCHES OF SNOW HAS FALLEN...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 116.0 INCHES SET IN 1995-1996.
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